As part of every project that we look at for our clients, we always start with the Initial Appraisal. This report highlights any concerns in eight key areas that might stop you progressing with a development which can help save you money.
We see a lot of people that have carried out some basic research on the site – taken a quick look at the planning history and have maybe purchased the Land Registry details. However, this is not sufficient. Without looking in detail at a whole host of possible issues, you are not really fully appraising your site. Appraisals help you uncover those things you don’t know. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know!!! By delving into an appraisal, you can identify the unknowns.
Surface Water Flooding
At the start of any project, developers check to see if their site is in a Flood Zone which is a good start. People may presume that because a site is not near a river or the sea, it will not have an issue with flooding. However, this isn’t the case! Surface water flooding can also cause similar issues to rivers and sea flooding.
Surface water flooding is caused when the volume of rainwater falling does not drain away through the existing drainage systems or does not soak into the ground; it lies on or flows over the ground instead. This type of flooding is usually short-lived and associated with heavy downpours of rain. It is hard to predict – forecasting where it will rain and how much it will rain is difficult. Vegetation, ground level changes, buildings, roads and other local features can affect the chance and severity of flooding.
You need to be aware of the consequences of developing in areas at risk to surface water flooding. These can be very costly depending when the problem surfaces. If the issue is picked up at the early stages, the development can be designed around the potential issues. If it’s left until the planners pick it up at the discharging conditions stage, this can be costly with money and time as solutions to deal with the surface water flooding need to be resolved.
Our top tip is to ALWAYS check the surface water flooding; this is something you can’t afford to not know!
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